Cue “The Twilight Zone” theme.

Roll the cascade of distant stars.

Rod Serling’s famous line of the opening scenes often signaled the sunlit horizon of a new day. But this solar facade only served to distract, as this same light that radiated brightly with promise, also cast long shadows made up of black holes filled with eerie new tales and parallel worlds, all of which were many degrees colder than the safe harbor of land just inches away.

Or, sometimes, they were just nutty stories of history and coincidence.

Kinda like these…

In one of this site’s first blog entries, Nutty Ain’t It??, I mentioned a few interesting facts about Roger and some of his experiences. But lately, I found some new peculiar facts about the connection of peanuts and Washington D.C., “submitted for your approval,” of course.

The Peanut Man Goes To Washington, Part I:

You’d be hard pressed to find any other “peanut man” in American history besides Roger who’s sold peanuts in one location for nearly 30 years or more.

For Roger, it’s been nearly 50 years since he first started as a vendor, trying to find extra grocery money for his struggling family. In 1959, he made it to the top of the vending chain and first began selling peanuts for the Dodgers in the Coliseum. And, when the Dodgers moved into Dodger Stadium in 1962, Roger was there, too, and trick-tossing peanut bags to delighted and amazed fans ever since.

However, according to TIME article, “Peanut Man,” from Jan. 29, 1934, it was another “peanut man” who made headlines in a Washington newspaper.

The article begins with the news of an old-timer who set up his peanut vendor cart everyday at the same spot for 28 years, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and East Executive Avenue. The peanut man, Nicholas Stephanos Vasilakos, had scribbled his own press release for the Evening Star newspaper, obviously proud that First Lady Roosevelt had recently stopped by for a snack. The same newspaper had also published reports that Vasilakos and his peanut cart should be removed due to obstruction of traffic, but with some intervention from the Oval Office, the cart stayed put.

The Peanut Man Goes To Washington, Part II:

It was exactly 43 years later from the TIME article, (note: George Washington Carver, the original Peanut Man, passed away in 1943, and the famed Dodger Peanut Man Roger Owens, was born in 1943) to when Roger himself went to Washington D.C. in 1977 for Pres. Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Parties.  The Washington Star newspaper noted Owens’ arrival and showmanship at the parties.

And, should you be curious, the Evening Star eventually changed its name to…the Washington Star.

Kissinger’s “Salted Peanuts”:

We have obviously trekked off the beaten path a bit for this one, but worth a mention.

From the National Security Archive comes mention of Henry Kissinger’s memo to President Nixon in Sept., 1969 that troop withdrawals from Vietnam would have been like “salted peanuts” to Americans, noting the potential of becoming addicted to them.

How does that relate to Roger?? In Sept., 1969, Roger was officially released from the care of the U.S. Naval Hospital and attending physician, Dr. Victor Schorn. Roger was able to finally go home after enduring a life-threating jeep accident while on duty with the California National Guard.

Dr. Schorn, who saved Roger’s life, also happened to be the personal neurosurgeon of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson.

So, there you have them. Just a few odd connections of peanuts and Washington D.C.
Just keep in mind, if you see that signpost up ahead, your next stop is…